Method of Activating a Pdp Context

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of activating a PDP context via a mobile terminal (MT), such as a mobile telephone, initiated by a terminal equipment (TE), e.g. a laptop, where the terminal equipment (TE) is arranged to be connected to the mobile terminal (MT). Hitherto, such an activation of a PDP context via a mobile terminal, required the user of a terminal equipment to have quite specialized knowledge, e.g. a special reserved number defined by GPRS, an additional digit (the connection ID) for specifying a special APN to connect to, etc. The invention provides a user-friendly method of performing such an activation, in that the mobile terminal (MT) is arranged to listen for an activation trigger from the terminal equipment (TE) and to perform said activation upon the reception of an activation trigger The invention moreover relates to a mobile terminal.

1 .- 16 . (canceled)  
   
   
       17 . A method of activating a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) context via a mobile terminal, initiated by a terminal equipment arranged to be connected to said mobile terminal, where said mobile terminal is arranged to be connected to a packet-based wireless communications network, comprising the steps of: 
 listening in the mobile terminal for an activation trigger from the terminal equipment, said activation trigger indicating a request from the terminal equipment to activate the PDP context;    deciding, upon detection of an activation trigger from the terminal equipment in the mobile terminal, whether to activate a PDP context and, in the affirmative case, which PDP context to activate; and    transmitting, if it was decided to activate a PDP context, a PDP context activation request message from the mobile terminal to a support node in the packet-based wireless communications network.    
   
   
       18 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein the activation trigger further comprises one from the group consisting of: 
 the terminal equipment creating a connection to the mobile terminal;    the terminal equipment transmitting a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) DISCOVER message to the mobile terminal; and    the terminal equipment transmitting a Router Solicitation.    
   
   
       19 . The method according to  claim 17 , wherein the deciding whether to activate a PDP context step further comprises querying for user inputs in regard to the decision of whether to activate a PDP context and/or in regard of which PDP context, if any, to activate.  
   
   
       20 . The method according to  claim 17  wherein the deciding whether to activate a PDP context step further comprises deciding to activate a predefined PDP context.  
   
   
       21 . The method according to  claim 17 , further comprising the step of receiving, in the mobile terminal, a PDP context activation response message from the support node in the packet-based wireless communications network.  
   
   
       22 . The method according to  claim 21 , wherein the PDP context activation response message comprises configuration parameters for the terminal equipment to connect to a Packet Data Network (PDN) to which the PDP context is related.  
   
   
       23 . The method according to  claim 17 , further comprising the step of deactivating the PDP context in the mobile terminal upon reception in the mobile terminal of a deactivation trigger.  
   
   
       24 . The method according to  claim 23 , wherein said deactivation trigger further comprises one from the group consisting of: 
 the terminal equipment terminating the connection to the mobile terminal;    the terminal equipment transmitting a DHCP RELEASE message to the mobile terminal; and    expiry of a lease time for said configuration parameters for the connection of said terminal equipment to said PDN.    
   
   
       25 . A mobile terminal arranged to be coupled to a terminal equipment and arranged to be coupled to a packet-based wireless communications network, said mobile terminal comprising: 
 a listening means arranged to listen for an activation trigger from the terminal equipment, said activation trigger indicating a request from the terminal equipment to activate the Packet Data Protocol (PDP) context;    a decision means arranged to decide whether to activate a PDP context and, in the affirmative case, which PDP context to activate, upon detection of an activation trigger from the terminal equipment; and    a transmitter arranged to transmit a PDP context activation request message from the mobile terminal to a support node in the packet-based wireless communications network, if it was decided to activate a PDP context.    
   
   
       26 . The mobile terminal according to  claim 25 , wherein said activation trigger is one selected from the group consisting of: 
 the terminal equipment creating a connection to the mobile terminal;    the terminal equipment transmitting a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) DISCOVER message to the mobile terminal; and    the terminal equipment transmitting a Router Solicitation.    
   
   
       27 . The mobile terminal according to  claim 25 , wherein the decision means are arranged for querying for user inputs in regard to the decision of whether to activate a PDP context and/or in regard of which PDP context, if any, to activate.  
   
   
       28 . The mobile terminal according to  claim 25 , wherein the decision means are arranged for deciding to activate a predefined PDP context.  
   
   
       29 . The mobile terminal according to  claim 25 , further comprising a receiver arranged to receive a PDP context activation response message from the support node in the packet-based wireless communications network.  
   
   
       30 . The mobile terminal according to  claim 29 , wherein the PDP context activation response message comprises configuration parameters for the terminal equipment to connect to a Packet Data Network (PDN) to which the PDP context is related.  
   
   
       31 . The mobile terminal according to  claim 25 , further comprising a deactivation means arranged to deactivate the PDP context in the mobile terminal upon reception in the mobile terminal of a deactivation trigger.  
   
   
       32 . The mobile terminal according to  claim 31  wherein said deactivation trigger is one selected from the group consisting of: 
 the terminal equipment terminating the connection to the mobile terminal;    the terminal equipment transmitting a DHCP RELEASE message to the mobile terminal (MT); and    expiry of a lease time for said configuration parameters for the connection of said terminal equipment to said PDN.